14 Smile

Next chapter of Captivated will be out eventually… this lil thing occurs pre-Phantom Planet

DS, cuz let's face it: is there really anything else? XD

It was about as much as she could stand. To see him being fawned over by other girls. At first it was only Valerie and Paullina. Sam could handle them. Valerie was an insecure, vengeful witch and Paullina easily noticed anything with- Sam stopped her train of thought. Bitterness was not pretty.

But, oh, could anyone really blame her? As high school wore on, more and more girls started to fall for those baby blues. The ones Sam jealously wanted to focus only on her. She sighed heavily as she closed her locker and headed toward the door. Really, she'd always known it would only be a matter of time before other girls began to notice how beautiful Danny was, inside and out. Could anyone really begrudge her her bitterness?

Yes, she supposed. It was her fault for not making a move. But she was not as brave as she pretended to be. She could speak for the helpless, the down-trodden, the victims of injustice, but she found it hard to speak for herself. It was hard to open up when it meant becoming vulnerable. That was why it was hard for her to make any friends.

Five year old Tucker had wiggled his way into her good graces by being the victim of bullying. She'd taken him on almost as a ward, not a friend. Of course, that had changed over time and when Sam decided people could no longer be trusted with her emotions, Tucker had already proven he was an exception.

And Danny. Danny was just so disarming. Her already icy ten-year-old heart had melted slightly at the sight of his smile.

Her face set in a deep frown as she paused at the door. She knew who was on the other side waiting. Tucker. Danny. And Danny's latest girlfriend. Sam bit back a growl. But it was not a growl for the girl beyond the door, it was for herself. She could have made her move and she'd been too chicken. Now she had to grin and bear it.

She took a deep breath and screwed her face into the best smile she could manage, though anyone could easily see it did not reach her lilac colored eyes.

She smiled more broadly (though more falsely) when she spotted her friends, "Hey guys!" she cried.

They wouldn't ever have to know that her smile was fake.

I'm not entirely happy with this, but it's just something to finish, I guess.